Marvel’s Daredevil returns his horned brand of vigilante justice to Hell’s Kitchen as early as this Friday, introducing MCU takes on The Punisher and Elektra Natchios for Season 2. We’ve already touted Marvel’s most explosive season yet, but before your own binge, get answers to some of Daredevil Season 2's most burning questions with our spoilery FAQ review of the first seven episodes!

[BE WARNED, SOME SPOILERS AHEAD]

Okay! So, where this time in the MCU does it take place? Are we at least referencing recent events?

Nope. Not even oblique mentions, as Jessica Jonesseemed to offer, that I remember from the first seven episodes. The Roxxon corporation makes an appearance, which you can consider a multi-platform tie, as do the Dogs of Hell that graced an early Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. outing.

There’s a distinct sentiment that vigilantism has escalated in recent years, to the point police are concerned by their inadequate public image, but nothing to suggest the Sokovia Accords have reached Hell’s Kitchen just yet.

Let’s put it this way: I counted a few Jessica Jones references, including characters that actually appear (“Jessica Jones character” doesn’t mean they didn’t appear in Daredevil first, though there’s another you might not remember appeared at all), others that garner mention by name, and another alluded to by abilities. A certain law firm gets a name-drop, and could well point to a Jessica Jones Season 2 storyline, but it’s pretty tenuous.

How much of the first Daredevil season will I need to be familiar with?

Basics. Character dynamics, Matt’s path to establishing himself as Hell’s Kitchen vigilante, legal practice, relationships with Foggy and Karen. The premiere does a good job of rehashing the beats worth knowing, and you won’t miss much to not remember a few ancillary characters.

What of Wilson Fisk, or his wife-to-be?

The absence of Wilson Fisk creates an open-season on criminal enterprise in Hell’s Kitchen, but Season 2 isn’t putting the Kingpin back in focus just yet.

How quickly do we meet the Punisher? Is it comparable to Matt and Fisk’s relationship in Season 1?

You’ll definitely feel Frank Castle’s presence by the premiere, even if it takes an episode or so to get to know him. You will not have to wait as long for he and Matt to actually cross paths.

Do we see Frank’s origin in real-time, or in flashback?

It wouldn’t be reasonable to kick off the season with Punisher’s emergence in Hell’s Kitchen, if Frank’s tragedy had occurred in any recent measure. I wouldn’t count on explicit flashbacks, though you’ll learn with awful clarity what befell Frank and his family, as well how it factors into the season’s overarching story.

What do you mean?

Despite its understandable emphasis in advertising, the notion of “Daredevil vs. The Punisher” is less of Season 2’s central focus than you might think. There’s much more to the character, and his history that promotional materials have kept under wraps.

Is he portrayed as a villain, or an anti-hero?

A little of both. The first onscreen appearance is frighteningly Terminator-esque, though he and Matt eventually come to share thoughtful back-and-forth on their differences in methodology. There’s a begrudging respect, amid all the tension, that Frank has no interest in killing or unmasking Matt, just getting him out of the way, while Matt wants to help his adversary as much as stop.

Are the Punisher’s kills as gory as some of the ones we saw in the first season?

The same PG-16 that applied to Daredevil or Jessica Jones is still in play here, though the holes punched in criminals by Punisher rounds are wide enough to fit a camera through. Torture scenes … will make you uncomfortable.

I don’t think it unreasonable to point toward the cracked mask prominently displayed in advertising, or subsequent shots that see another mask with some adjusted shape. What I will say, is that Daredevil takes seriously the notion that Matt has only one armored suit, one that needs maintenance after enough damage.

I liked the first for its emphasis on Matt’s exhaustion, less so the tenuous implication of a single shot. I won’t say which episode delivers its spiritual successor in Season 2, but this time around adds much more technical skill and awe factor, without necessarily earning the same result. The cuts aren’t quite so hidden, and the effort feels a little deliberate, apart from the spectacle.

So what’s up with Stick, or The Hand?

Difficult to say, without giving anything away. What I can tell you, is that Season 2 seems almost to operate in acts, that the first seven episodes dabble in at least one major storytelling shift. Whether Stick, or The Hand have any part, you’ll have to see.

Do we at least meet Elektra in the first seven?

You will. The first trailer made pretty clear the moment of their re-connection, as did the second. As to their own history, floppy-haired flashbacks will very much pick up where the first season’s “Greek girl” reference left off, several of which you’ve already seen without realizing. You’ll know why they came together, and why they pulled apart, and it’s definitely a heart-breaker.

Do Matt and Karen become an item this time around, as suggested in trailers?

You will not have to wait particularly long to see that the status of their relationship is shifting.

What about Matt and Foggy’s relationship?

By the same token, tensions between Matt and Foggy are established early on, to the point Foggy panics whenever Matt doesn’t answer his phone, or misses out on a legal appointment. More interesting, perhaps, is how the two reconcile Daredevil’s activities starting to interfere with their actual casework.

Has Nelson and Murdock grown as a practice?

Yes! Putting away Wilson Fisk brought some notoriety that sees the office full on more than one occasion, even if clients still have trouble financially. There’s at least one legal rivalry to the firm this year, even if any actual courtroom proceedings are reserved more toward the middle of the season.

Ben Urich is gone, but do papers still play a part? Has the New York Bulletin at least been renamed The Daily Bugle, now that they have the rights?

You’ll see the newspaper offices again, as well feel Ben Urich’s influence on a number of occasions, but no, the “Daily Bugle” remains unspoken.

You’ll find Claire mostly where you’d expect, tirelessly taking care of the under-appreciative. Without giving too much away, expect a paring that occurred only off-screen last year, and leads to an exceptional standoff showcase for all involved. Don’t expect Claire to head uptown just yet, however.

I don’t … think so? I jotted down in my notes an obscure reference to a “John Doe” reported under similar circumstances as Frank Castle’s origin, but couldn’t tell if there was any real significance to it. Far be it for me to speculate, but if Boardwalk Empire star Vincent Piazza ever did secure a role, it hasn’t been revealed just yet.

Season 2 has more than enough of its own story to tell, that I wouldn’t bank on much direct explanation of the the first season’s Iron Fist easter eggs. There’s more than enough time left in Season 2 to establish a more mystical bent, as well as whatever it might contribute to the inevitable team-up miniseries.

We’re just days away from Marvel’s Daredevil Season 2 premiere, where you’ll see the answers to these and more for yourself, but what other big questions will the next Defenders run bring to the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Check out the latest trailers below, and stay tuned for more on Marvel’s Daredevil Season 2!